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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23010238">May 11th, 1992</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyctae/pseuds/Nyctae'>Nyctae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Flying, Gen, Sneaking Out, can be read as platonic or romantic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:28:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,234</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23010238</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyctae/pseuds/Nyctae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver had finally done it.</p><p>He convinced Percy Weasley to break the rules for him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Percy Weasley &amp; Oliver Wood, Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>140</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>May 11th, 1992</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>        It took a lot of convincing, but eventually, he agreed. Percy—the do-good know-it-all—agreed to break the rules. He would be sneaking out of his dorm after curfew to spend time with Oliver.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Ready?” Oliver asked, pulling a coat on over his pyjamas.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Mhm,” Percy mumbled hesitantly. He fidgeted with the buttons on his unnecessarily long coat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        The plan was simple: sneak food from the kitchens, head down to the lake, and fly for a while. Just a simple, fun night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        But to Percy, it was anything but. He was terrified to break the rules, and there were too many things that could go wrong. What if Professor Snape or McGonagall caught them? What if another student snitches on them? What if someone sees them and starts rumours? </span>
  <em>
    <span>“If my mom finds out, I’m dead, Oliver!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Uhm, maybe… maybe we shouldn’t,” he whispered in panic, causing Oliver to pause. One hand was grasping the doorknob, ready to turn it; the other was holding his beloved (and well-loved) broom.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Come on, Perce. It’s taken years to convince you. No one’s gonna snitch on us. I promise it’ll all be fine.” Percy relented when Oliver flashed a charming grin at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Fine. Let’s hurry then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        He received a smile in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Great! Take my broom and start heading down to the lake. I’ll go to the kitchen and get some snacks. If I don’t show in ten, be careful coming back to the room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Percy nodded stiffly. Why was he so nervous? He was just breaking a simple rule, well more like three, but Oliver promised they wouldn’t be caught.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        The few seconds it took to open the door seemed to take aeons, but they managed to quietly sneak out. The pitter-patter of their footsteps filled the large halls as they began their descent. Percy’s mind began to wander during their walk. Maybe their steps were too loud. What if a professor was coming down? Would he no longer be a prefect if he were caught? What would he tell his mother?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        He was pulled from his spiralling thoughts when Oliver squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. </span>
  <span>“Calm down, Percy. It’ll be fi-” his whisper was cut off by a faint light approaching the corner of the hall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Oh shit! Come on.” Oliver pulled his friend along at a quickened pace to find a place to hide. They slipped behind a corner and crouched down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Snape slowly stalked down the corridor, candle in hand. Percy was sure that the professor would hear his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. But by some miracle, Snape didn’t notice them and continued on his way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “That was close, wasn’t it?” Oliver chuckled quietly. Percy wondered how Oliver could be laughing after they were almost caught by the Head of Slytherin. A prefect was almost caught with the captain of the Quidditch team. What was he doing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “I told you it’d be fine. Just breathe. We’re almost out.” Oliver helped Percy up from the floor. They continued on their journey while Oliver hummed quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Eventually, they split off. Percy headed outside while Oliver went to fill the small picnic basket for their nighttime feast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        5 minutes: Percy began to worry, but he tried to reassure himself that Oliver would show.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        7 minutes: he was sure Oliver was caught. How much trouble would his roommate be in? Would they find out Percy went with him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        9 minutes: Percy paced with Oliver’s broom in his hands. Oliver was in trouble. He promised he wouldn’t be, but Percy shouldn’t have trusted him to promise something he can’t guarantee. Of course the plan wouldn’t have worked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        11 minutes: Percy’s anxiety-induced trance was broken by a familiar voice and a basket being dropped next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Sorry ‘bout that. Got in a little conversation then nearly got caught by Snape again. But it’s alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Percy nodded solemnly, still trying to clear his head from the panicky fog. A small smile grew on his face when Oliver plopped down next to him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Let’s eat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Oliver pulled out a variety of sweets from the basket. There were treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs, and chocoballs and other goodies from their last Hogsmeade trip. They began their little feast, chatting and laughing between bites. They talked about classes, their families, Quidditch, and every other random topic they thought of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Somehow, they ended up lying on their backs, staring up at the night sky. They talked about the stars and their dreams and aspirations. Regardless of the seriousness of the topic, their tiredness would always lead to one of them falling into a fit of chuckles. The contagious laughter would spread, and after catching their breaths, a new topic would emerge. If anyone were to see them, they would swear the two had gotten their hands on Firewhiskey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Oliver rolled over to face Percy before saying, “Let’s go flying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “But it’s dark. What if we get hurt?” Percy argued. Oliver of all people should know how much he hated flying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Aww, don’t you trust me? I’m a great Quidditch player! I’ll keep you safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        They bickered back and forth. It ended once Percy relented; Oliver grinned in silent triumph. He mounted his broom and gestured for Percy to get on. Hesitantly, he settled on the broom, holding onto his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “I’ll count us down, okay? I know how you hate surprises.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Of course he remembers his roommate’s hatred of surprises, but he conveniently forgot his hatred of flying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “One.” Percy squeezed his eyes shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Two.” He gripped Oliver’s waist a bit tighter; his stomach was churning in anticipation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Three.” His stomach lurched as they took off. The ascent was slow, but each second his feet moved further from the ground filled him with fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “You can open your eyes, you know,” Oliver chuckled as they began to move forward. They went slow, and there was a sense of stability Percy never witnessed during Quidditch matches.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        After a few moments of internal debate, Percy finally pried his eyes open. It was dark, but he could make out the outlines of their surroundings: the looming trees of the Forbidden Forest, the shiny reflection of the water, and the castle. It was behind them, but its warm, glowing light revealed the majestic architecture of the building. The pretty crescent moon was the only other light source. The view was beautiful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Percy decided that flying wasn’t so bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Ready?” Oliver asked out of nowhere, and before Percy could formulate a question, Oliver sped up. A wave of fear spread through him, but it soon dissolved (though he did yelp and hold onto Oliver tighter). He enjoyed the rush of adrenaline that flying gave him, and he began to understand Oliver’s love of Quidditch.<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        It felt as if they had been flying for hours when they finally began to descend towards the grassy ground where they originally took off. Once they landed, they grabbed their stuff before Percy declared a race back to the castle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        They giggled—drunk on tiredness and glee—as they returned to the safety of their room. Oliver collapsed on his bed and asked, “So, did you have fun?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Percy chuckled and nodded, changing into pyjamas. “It’ll be worth tomorrow’s tiredness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        He paused before continuing with a smile, “You know, I wouldn’t mind sneaking out with you again. Perhaps we could go to the astronomy tower next time.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Criticism is always appreciated<br/>Check me out on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vi.nyctae/?hl=en">@vi.nyctae</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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